November Elections: Which Path Will America Take?

This year’s presidential race continues to remain neck and neck, but as the election approaches many believe the country is headed down the wrong track. Sixty-five percent (65%) of respondentsin a recent Rasmussen Reports poll responded that our nation was on the “wrong track,” and other recent surveys by National Public Radio and ABC News/Washington Post showed similar results. Sixty-four (64%) percent of respondents in a recent CBS News poll thought President Obama’s policies have contributed “some” or “a lot” to the economic turndown. Other troubling news for the President is that he is below fifty percent (50%) in virtually every presidential job approval poll.

Many Americans have been frustrated with the slower than normal recovery that has taken place over the last 4 years. There have been heated congressional disagreements over how the federal government should fix the looming debt crisis. We have seen Americans on all sides of the debate take to the streets over the past few years – from Tea Party groups rallying against record breaking debt, spending and higher taxes to the occupy movement marching against the “establishment.”

Weighed down by a fiscal and monetary debacle in Greece, Spain, and the rest of Europe and worried that rising debt at home is a drag on a fragile economy, a majority of Americans have expressed urgent pleas to cut annual deficits and the national debt, which has piled up to nearly $16 trillion. Unfortunately, Congress and the President have been unable to agree on the correct measures to fix the ailment. Last summer their division fueled a major “fiscal cliff” standoff in Washington over crucial questions of taxes and spending and it seems we may be in store for another dose in the coming months.

For many Americans the “hope” that things will get better if President Obama has one more term in office is fading. Earlier this week, liberal commentator and economist, Paul Krugman stated:

Well, I mean, it’s a game of chicken, and I actually think that if Obama’s reelected, I think that there’s a quite good chance that for a month or two we actually will go off the cliff – which doesn’t do that much harm because it’s brief

This is a surprising statement from the economist who has been the economic mouth piece of the President’s administration. But even looking beyond the economic impact, the Obama administration’s extreme focus on class warfare has fueled the nation’s dissatisfaction and plays on an underlying resentment towards small business owners. Mr. Obama continues to push for higher taxes and does so in a way that is an attack on those who are the most successful–demanding that higher-income taxpayers pay their “fair share,” when according to the numbers they already pay much more than that.

Many Americans might agree to pay more in taxes if they felt their government was doing everything it could to stop waste, fraud, and abuse of their tax dollars. The President has said it was “patriotic” to be willing to pay more in taxes and give the government a hand for its immoral deficits. This is a shift in governing philosophy compared to what we have seen since WWII where “fiscal restraint” in governing was something to feel patriotic about.

The American people have a fundamental choice to make this November and their vision of how our government should work and the direction our nation should head will be between two options: One in which we have higher taxes, more regulation and a growing welfare class, or an America that has a competitive tax structure, smarter and reasonable regulation, and more individuals contributing to society as productive citizens. We will see which path America takes come November.

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About the Author

David Nicholas is co-founder of Future Voices of America and President of Nicholas Wealth Management. A former co-host of the Ty J. Young radio show on Bloomberg Financial Network Atlanta, David is currently the host of the "Protecting Your Retirement" radio show which airs Saturdays at 3pm on 640 AM WGST in Atlanta. He was recently awarded the "Power 30 under 30" award and has been featured on the Neil Cavuto show on Fox Business. Follow David on Twitter: @DavidANicholas